Papakaio School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 121
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 17 Papakaio Road, Oamaru
- Territorial authority
- Waitaki District
- Phone
- 03-4317851
- office@papakaio.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Otago
Can my child go here?
This school has an enrolment scheme, so a place is not open to every address. How enrolment zones work
Loading zone map…
Zone boundaries shown here are approximate. Ministry of Education data warns these boundaries do not have high spatial precision and can place neighbouring addresses on different sides of a line. This is not a confirmation of enrolment eligibility — always confirm directly with the school. Zone geometry also does not reflect enrolment priority rules (siblings, special character categories, ballots) — it shows the mapped boundary only.
Check if your address is in zone →
Source: Ministry of Education, CC BY 3.0 NZ
What would the day look like?
The practical things this school states on its own website — the hours, the uniform, the term dates, and how children get there. These are the school’s own words, not the Ministry’s record and not ERO’s.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- Uniform
Not stated on the school’s website.
What does the school say about itself?
Quoted, not summarised. Every school describes itself well, so this is here to be read as the school’s own case rather than as a finding — and a school that states nothing simply has no row.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- In their words
- Our Vision-
- Deep Roots, Strong Minds, Bright Futures
- Papakaio School believes true success lies in both knowledge and character. We provide a structured foundation in the core learning areas, while also nurturing manaakitanga, and strong relationships. Our students take ownership of their learning journey.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 90
- Māori
- 13
- Pacific
- 1
- Asian
- 26
- MELAA
- 2
- Other
- 1
- International
- 0
Roll by year level and age
Shown as context, not ranked, not compared to any average. As at 30 June 2026, from the same annual return as the roll count above.
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 01 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 12 |
| Year 02 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 17 |
| Year 03 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 19 |
| Year 04 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| Year 05 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 16 |
| Year 06 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 07 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 19 |
| Year 08 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| Total | 10 | 4 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 87 | 0 | 118 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 12 |
| Age 06 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 14 |
| Age 07 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 21 |
| Age 08 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 15 |
| Age 09 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 19 |
| Age 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 16 |
| Age 12 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 10 | 4 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 87 | 0 | 118 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Papakaio School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Otago Region | 36.8% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison stand-down rates data (2024)
Age-standardised suspension rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Papakaio School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Otago Region | 4.6% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison suspension rates data (2024)
Age-standardised exclusion rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Papakaio School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Otago Region | 2% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 449
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural other
- Date opened
- 24 April 1867
The Equity Index is used by the Ministry to allocate equity funding. It describes the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, not how good the school is. How the Equity Index works
What did ERO find?
The Education Review Office reviews every school and publishes what it finds in full. We quote ERO’s report here, section by section, in ERO’s own words and order, and link to it. We do not summarise a report, pick a line out of one, or turn one into a score. How ERO reviews schools
- Reports ERO holds
- 3
- Last reviewed
- 12 June 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (12 June 2024)
A board assurance statement is the board’s own account of whether it took all reasonable steps to meet its legal obligations, on the date shown. It is not ERO’s finding. ERO reports separately, in the same report, on any non-compliance it identified during that process.
The same report — the board assurance report of 12 June 2024 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.
ERO and the board have identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process. The school needs to:
work towards offering year 7 and 8 students opportunities for learning second or subsequent languages [New Zealand Curriculum]
The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.
The roll ERO recorded, and when
ERO writes a roll into each report it publishes: a count taken for that report, on the day shown, by the review team that was there. The Ministry of Education’s current roll for this school is 121 — the figure at the top of this page, and the one to use for how big the school is now. These are a different measurement by a different body, so they will rarely agree, and a difference between them is not a change in the school.
April 2019
140
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 24 June 2019
This is one count taken for one report. It says what the roll was on that day, and nothing about how the roll has moved.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 12 June 2024 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
School Evaluation Report
Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.
We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter
Context
Papakaio School is a rural primary school providing education for students in Years 1 to 8. It is located in the lower Waitaki Valley. The school’s vision for learners is that they will realise their potential through developing the skills and attitudes for working with people, purpose and passion.
There are two parts to this report.
Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki /bilingual settings.
Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
Part A: Current State
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
Learning outcomes for most learners are positive and well sustained over time.
Most learners make sustained progress and achieve at the appropriate curriculum level in reading, writing and mathematics throughout their schooling; the school continues to focus on improving outcomes for boys in writing and for Māori learners in writing and mathematics.
Most learners progress and meet learning goals relevant to them and set in partnership with their whānau and teachers.
The majority of learners attend school regularly, although not yet consistently at levels encouraged by the Ministry of Education; school leaders and teachers work with families to encourage regular attendance and ameliorate the impact of absences on learning.
Conditions to support learner success
School leadership fosters and sustains a culture committed to quality teaching and equity and excellence in learner outcomes.
Leadership uses a range of evidence to plan and monitor the school’s strategic improvement cycle and to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to improve learner outcomes.
Expectations for high-quality, evidence-informed teaching are clear, shared, systematically monitored and supported with relevant professional learning.
To achieve the school’s vision for learners and improvement goals, leadership builds and sustains high levels of relational trust and effective collaboration at every level of the school community.
The school curriculum and teaching practice are highly responsive to the interests and needs of learners.
Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth of The New Zealand Curriculum within the school and in the local environment.
Teachers create a collaborative and orderly learning environment that fosters inclusive participation; positive and respectful teacher-learner relationships are embedded in classrooms; curriculum and teaching are increasingly well structured and coordinated providing learners with well-paced exposures to concepts, ideas, skills and examples with timely and specific feedback.
Assessment information is effectively used to plan for, evaluate and report the progress and achievement of each learner and to adapt teaching practice to respond to learners’ strengths and needs; those needing additional support are identified promptly and are provided with relevant, individualised and effective support to learn and progress at an appropriate pace.
Stewardship, a range of partnerships and teacher capability development effectively support school operation and the realisation of strategic goals.
Teacher professional learning is strategically aligned with the school’s improvement goals and learner needs; leaders and teachers monitor and evaluate anticipated changes in practice and learner outcomes.
Educationally focused relationships with parents, other education providers, specialists and community groups support learner transitions to and from school and increase opportunities for learning and success.
The school board closely scrutinises a range of high-quality learner data and evaluative information to identify strategic improvement priorities, plan and make appropriate resourcing decisions.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
review and strengthen the curriculum, and teaching of writing, and embed in practice recent professional learning for the teaching of reading
evaluate the impact of changes in teaching practice on learners’ progress and achievement in literacy
continue to develop the school’s local curriculum, including a strengthened focus on sustainability and bicultural understandings, and to evaluate how well it is fostering the school’s new graduate outcomes.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle are as follows:
Within six months
implement the school’s professional development plan for the teaching of writing
develop and confirm the school’s intended graduate outcomes
Every six months
ongoing monitoring of learners’ progress and achievement in reading and writing, with a particular focus on outcomes for boys and Māori learners
evaluate the impact of professional development on teacher confidence and practice for teaching writing
Annually
review curriculum planning to ensure learners have sufficient opportunities to learn about and develop the school’s identified graduate outcomes
increasingly involve learners in reflecting on their own progress in developing and demonstrating the graduate outcomes.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
more equitable progress and achievement in writing for boys and Māori learners
all learners being supported to make appropriate progress in literacy learning
consistency and coherence in the teaching of literacy across the school
learners having sufficient opportunities to develop the school’s graduate outcomes.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
12 June 2024
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 3 reports ERO holds for this school
ERO reviews a school every few years — around four years between reviews is the usual cycle — so an older date here reflects where a school sits in that cycle, not how it is doing.
Source: Education Review Office, CC BY 4.0.
Roll date: 30 June 2026 (2026).